Antibacklash reel



Aug. 19, 1952 J. PAsANEN ANTIBACKLASH REEL Filed Sept. 13, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l v J. PASANEN ANTIBACKLASH REEL Aug. 19, 1952 2 Sl-lEETSSHEET 2 v Filed Sept. 15, 1949 ilili A Q? LLL JNVENTOR. JOA A/ I PASA/VE V.

Patented Aug. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v 2,607,547 ANTIBACKLAS H REEL v John Pasanen, Merrick, N. Y. Application September 13, 1949, SerialNo. 115,451

This invention relates to anti-backlash fishing reels.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved braking mechanism and control therefor which automatically prevent backlash while interfering to the minimum extent possible with the cast.

With this general object and still other-objects which will appear in the following full description in mind, the invention consists in the combination and arrangementsof parts and details of construction which will now first be'fully described in 7 connection with the accompanying drawing and then be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

,In the drawing:

Figure 1 is-a perspective view of a reel em- I bodying the invention in a preferred form of embodiment and showing the same in position on thebody of a casting rod;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a different position of the parts;

Figure 3 is a view of the reel of Figure 1 in side elevation, showing certain internal structure in dotted lines;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of one end of the reel;

Figure 5 is a back view of the end plate of Figure 3, showing internal brake structure;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the parts in a different position;

Figure 7 is a detail view of the brake drum elementwhich appears in phantom in Figures 5 and 6;

Figure 8-is a rear elevation view of one end of tion and may incorporate any. other of the usual features and attachments as required for particular classes of service.

The reel is provided with means, such' as the usual feet I, for attaching it to a fishing rod 2, by means of rod fixtures including th clips 3 and 4, one of which is slidably mounted for attaching and removing the reel in the usual way. The reel comprises a rotatable reel spool member 5 journaled at each end in end housin s 6 and I, a handle and gearing or other dr ve C011- 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-84.5)

nections within the housing beingprovided for winding the reel. These elements Withinhousing 1' being conventional, they arenot shown in the drawing. The reel shaft extends into the housing 6, being journaled in a bearing cup l0 (Figure 4), attached to the outer face plate ll of the housing, which element is removably attached to the inner end frame structure l3 of the reel as by means'of screws I l-(Figures 1 'and2).

cooperate therewith for applying torque tothe reel. These brake shoes are pivotally mounted at l9 and on the outer cover or face plate II and are actuated by atoggle mechanism comprising a pair of links 2| and 22, pivotally connected to the brake shoes I! and I8 and to the ends of a rotatable bar'23, the center of which is attached to a stub shaft 24, which is journaled in the face plate II, as best shown in Figure 9. A bearing sleeve or bushing 25 for shaft 24 is fixed to the face plate H, as indicated, and the inner end of the shaft 24 is enlargedas at 26 to prevent its slipping out through the bearing. A rotatable tension adjusting disc 21 is carried by the shaft 24 and a coil or torsion spring 28 is attached at one end, 29, to this disc and at the other end, 30, to the face plate I l. r

A pilot arm or tension control lever 3| is mounted on the reduced end 32 of shaft 24:and is heldthereon by means of awasher 33 and nut 34. The arm 3| is'fixed to the shaft 32 for turning the same as by means of a flat on the reduced end of the shaft and is coupled to the disc 21 by means of a pin 35, slidable back and forth through an aperture 36 in the arm 3| and normally held in the position of Figure 9 by means of a :strap spring 31 attached to the arm 3! by a rivet 38. The end of the spring is doubled over to hold the head of pin 35, as indicated at 39. Pin 35 may enter any of a number of notches 40 in the disc 21 for coupling the arm 3| thereto in various angular relationships. While the number of notches 40 may vary, 12 notches or thereabouts, as indicated in the drawing, will ordinarily be found satisfactory.

The pilot arm 3| carrieson its outer end an elongated wire loop or stirrup 4|, which extends across the rotatable spool of the reel and through which the fishing line L may pass, as indicated in the figures. When the arm 3| is in its upper position, as indicated in Figure 5, braking forces will be applied to the brake drum. l5 by means of the'brake shoes l1 and I8, and. when it is in its lower position, as indicated in Figure-6, no braking forces will be applied. The braking force applied is regulated by disengaging pin 35 from disc 21, using the thumb nail under the end 39 for this purpose, turning the disc 2'! to the desired amount and then releasing the pin 35 so as to permit it to enter one of the notches 40. The effect of this adjustment will be described in detail below, in connection with the following descriptionof the operation of'the device,

As is well known, the general object of an antibacklash reel is to prevent the spool from overrunning the line to any substantial extent, and

secondly, to interfere to the least extent'pps ible with the free movement of the line. during the casting. This requires what is, in effect, an automatic tension control. 'Ihetexistence of any tension in the line L indicates that the reel spool is not overrunning or delivering the line faster thanit is being pulled oi the rod. It is desirable '---thatthegbraking force shouldnbtlbe appliedto {the reelun'til such time as this tension hassub- 'stantiallydisappeared. Tn practicetitis necessary to brake the-reel moreorless continuously 'tow'ard'the end of the cast so as to slow down *ithe reel as the movement-of the'iline following l the plugor bait beingcast slows down. For this purpose, the line tension is measuredbyzmeasuring the deflection of the line.

In previous anti-backlash automatic brakesfor. *reels thetension measuring member correspondinsto stirrup M has ordinarily had every small I movement betweenbrakingandnon-braking position and moveover 'the movement thereof in :ap-

plying the braking force Y has =-usua1ly been down wa-rd; -or-toward the-rod. In-the present scon- *structien, "an arc of movement of nearlyf of :for the brake control arm 3l v maybeprovidedand the stirrup 41; is carriedoutbeyond the limits. of "the reel so =that the moment arm is also very flarge.=' I'-he' pilot arm preferably moves upward or away from the rod, as shown, and is preferably pivoted-about a point located rearwardly of the reel spool axis. The parts are also so related 'asto ntilize the angles of the line as 'it -enters and leaves the stirrup fill in obtaining the most desirable relationships between the line tensions and spring tensions in the various positions. These relations are exhibited in the diagram- EmatiQ'Figures l- O IZ and Figures 5 an'd G, show- ;ingtheposition of the brakes,

Asisapparent; the line-passesupward fromthe reel spool in acourse '50 through the stirrup A I r, and ofi; the same in a course 51, passing to the first-guide on the rod whic'h will normally be catedgat ;a considerable distance. "In a-surf castingrod this distance may be about 5ft. The

,anglesof theline courses Stand 5| will depend 1 upon several factors, among whichthe most importantare theposition of the arm 3| and the 'efiective diameter of the reel spool. Figures 10 and ljl illustrate the actionwith a full spool and correspondingly large effective reel spool diam- -am'on ntv ofline leit ont-he reelras indicated in 4 Figures 10 to 12. Under these conditions, the resultant force due 'to the tension is very much increased, thus contributing to the sensitivity of the tension control. As the arm 3| moves upwardly from the position of Figure 11 to that of Figure 10, no braking force is applied to the reel during the major part of this movement and the braking force begins to be applied as soon as the brake shoes I! and l8 contact the brake drum l5 (position of Figure .5) In this .position, the torque applied to the shaft 24 by the arm 3| will ent, if there is no tension in the line, full braking force of the spring as determined by the setting ofdiscllwill Joe-applied through the brake shoes I I andlfl. As soon, however, as the reel is checked sufiiciently to build up some tension in the line, the pressure of the brake shoes against the drumand the braking .force' will be Jc'orrespondingly reduced. In this way, towardlthe latter part :of .the roast, J braking 'force .as required :is applied soastolmaintain aLceItain minimum tension in the! line. ifllhe..best valueofor'sthis is readily. determined by :a 'few trial roasts,v and :will of course vary with the lengthso'f .cast and with the weight of. .the plug, wind conditions and other :factors.

The arrangement: of I thelinks 2!, 122 -and the arm :23, :as isievident'i-fromil iigure 5,t:forms aito'ggle so that the amount ofmovementlofithe arm 3! 'requiredto vary the braking pressure from zero-to maximum isverysmalland ispracti-cally negligible. Further, befapparentlithatithe torque on the brake shoes due to v the:brakezdrum =l-5 and which is a direct =measure10f.ZtheIbraking force applied, will be exerted vin'isuch: a-idirection asto t'end to rotate the shoe* l8..toward the brake drum l5 and the shoe l i away. from it. iSince "these elements arev linked :together by: members 2|, 22 and 23;the' efiiectrofth'e torque of thereel spool :against the braking mechanism is cancelled out. This characteristic o'f'ithe braking :mechanism forms an important featurefof the present device since the :braking pre'ssure applied-at high speeds of reel rotation will be as great as that applied at low-speeds of :reelrotatiomso that the braking force, for givenitensionin lineand given setting of the spring will' beproporti'onalto the speed of the reel. Ina device inwhich the torque ofthereel against the-brake' is permitted to react against the tension measuring system, this result cannot be obtained, so that in suchdev'ices there is a. tendency for excessive backlash with longcasts and excessive braking action with short casts. fMoreover, without this feature'of the present invention, as will-be apparent from the fore: going disclosure, it is impossible to regulate the braking actionproperly from 'the time-when the 7 reel is runningiat'full speed down-to the end of sultantforce -onithe arm '3 I. duetothisi tension,

and the tension itself, increases. The. actual :momentdue to the tension is proportional .to this resultant and to the effective moment arm. Inasmuch as the: resultant forceis directed along the bisector of the angle. A, it will bezobserved that the moment arm varies. The parts are preferably so laid out, that in the braking position the moment due to a given tension in the line will be a maximum. This result is achieved in the construction shown and may also be achieved with modification in the dimensions of the parts and location of the tension arm pivot point by selecting the angular position of the arm in which the brakes are applied.

What is claimed is:

1. In an anti-backlash fishing reel having a rotatable reel spool and end housing supporting the same, and in combination, cooperating brake elements on the reel spool and on an end housing of the reel, a brake control shaft journaled in the end housing, a tension control arm for rotating the shaft to engage and disengage the cooperating brake elements, a coil spring surrounding the shaft for exerting torque on the same, and adjustable means for coupling the spring and tension arm together to vary the torque exerted on the shaft by the spring.

2. An anti-backlash reel according to claim 1, in which the control arm is arranged to deflect a line through substantially a right angle in braking position and to pass the line with substantially no deflection in a lower position.

' JOHN PASANEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

